7 Year Old Law
by S. Halliwell
Summary: This is actually the story Against the Rules, just a new title. Summary: A prince and a servant girl together? Not in this society. full summary inside. SS and ET. All New never before released chap released.
1. Chapter 1

hey everyone. This is actually the story "Againsr the Rules". I just give it a new name, "Against the Rules" does not 100 percent fit the plot.

I've done major editing to this story and changed all script to dialect form so now I can post it here, hope you like it.

Full Summary: A society where social classes seperates people. A society where children needs to listen to the marriage arrangements of the parents. A society where royalty and common people can NOT mix. She's a servant girl. He's a prince. They never thought of meeting each other. They never planned to have a single encounter, but how is NOT meeting possible when they are living in the same castle?

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**PART 1**

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A 17-year old girl with short auburn hair walked through the hall carrying a bucket of water. She walked to the beautiful garden and placed the bucket on the floor. She smiled brightly. The garden is beautiful, Of course it's beautiful. It was located in the Li castle. The girl worked there as a servant. One of her jobs is to take care of the garden. She also got the baths ready for the two princesses. The three had become really good friends. In addition to these two jobs, she also helps the other servants with little odd jobs. She has one more job, this girl is also the court dancer. She did performances for court guests. Her name: Xiao Ying.

(on a side note, Sakura's chinese name is actually Xiao Ying. I know because I'm chinese and i watched the chinese version of Card Captors. And you'll find out why I'm using her chinese name later. It's part of the plot.)

Xiao Ying is beautiful. Her skin is silky smooth and she has curves in all the right places. Her hair was silky and the auburn color of it only complemented her more. She is the perfect height and all these features made her look like a goddess. She has what people call the perfect female body. Her smile is gentle and caring. And she has a heart of gold. She is caring for other people and will help in anyway she can. Male palace servants just drool for her to be theirs, except for her brother of course and the eunuchs. (Eunuchs are certain male palace servants that can't mingle with women, NOT all male palace servants are eunuchs) (The reason is inappropriate for me to post, so you'll have to look it up) The most striking feature however is her green-emerald eyes. They are so pure, so clear, and so innocent, that it scared away anyone that wanted to do something horrible to her. And if that didn't stop them, her big brother, Tori will. Of course he had as many female admirers as his sister had male. Tori is the original definition of tall, dark and handsome. These two siblings always had people swooning over them.

With the bucket in the center, Xiao Ying gently splashed water on the flowers. The way she did it, the flowers won't get damaged or anything. That's why she had this job. She did it for all the flowers there. Xiao Ying finished her watering. It took her some time though. It was time to make the baths for the princesses. Xiao Ying headed in that direction. Xiao Ying smiled. The two princesses are her best friends. She arrived at the princesses bathing chamber. She got the water in the huge, and I mean huge tub, you can practically swim in it. Small steam floated on top of the bath just as the princesses came in. Xiao Ying bent her knees (not kneel) and brought her hand palm face down right on top of left to her right.

"Princess Tomoyo, Princess Meiling your bath is ready." Xiao Ying said in her polite gesture.

Princess Tomoyo and Princes Meiling giggled:

"Xiao Ying, we have been friends forever, you don't have to be so formal" said Tomoyo.

"Yeah, you really don't have to be so formal, Xiao Ying." said Meiling.

"Friends or not, I am still a servant." said Xiao Ying.

Princess Tomoyo and Princess Meiling shook their heads. With that, the two princesses undressed and stepped into the bath. Xiao Ying spread petals around the tub. (They're doing those flower baths) Xiao Ying helped the princesses and once they were finished, she helped them get ready. A very important guest is coming in the afternoon and all the royal people are to attend. Xiao Ying had received a summons to perform for the guest. Once she finished helping the two princesses get ready, she went back to her quarters to get herself ready for her performance. She had a room in the female section of the servant quarters, while her brother had one in the males'. Xiao Ying got on a new dress, that the queen had ordered be made for the occasion. The guest is a king from another kingdom not far away. Xiao Ying practiced once more before her performance.

(Somewhere else)

An amber-eyed boy with chestnut colored hair sat at his bed with boredom in his eyes. Today will be his first time in front of a guest and he didn't like it. But of course he had to do it. He is after all the prince of the kingdom. Prince Li Syaoran. He mumbled as he got ready. Going in front of guests wasn't his biggest problem either. He is 18 and thus needed to find a bride. That was the problem. Every princess he saw made him sick. It wasn't because they were ugly or anything. It was because the second anyone of those princesses saw him, those princesses would flutter their eyelashes at him and flirt with him. Yuck! The reason they would do that is because he is handsome and gorgeous. And intelligent. And every other single damned thing the ladies wanted. God, he was tired of it all.

'_Mother is rushing me to get married and all those princesses have no shame. Isn't there anyone that falls in love and NOT in lust?'_ thought the prince as he sighed and got ready.

A few seconds after he got ready, the prince heard a knock on the door. A woman with dark hair in a huge ponytail at her back came in.

"Are you ready dear son?" she asked.

"Yes mother." answered the prince.

"Good. Now please, King Terada's daughter is also coming so…" started the queen before she got cut off by Syaoran.

Syaoran rolled his eyes. "Ok, but if she starts flashing her eyelashes at me or any of that crap…" started Syaoran and putting his hand up in a no way gesture.

"I understand that you don't want people to love you because of your looks, but you can always show them the real you after the marriage." said Queen Yelan

"Why is finding love so hard?" Syaoran asked rhetorically in an exasperated sigh.

"We'll talk about it later; it is time to welcome the guest." said the queen.

With that, the queen and prince headed to the throne room. Already there was Prince Eriol Hiiragizawa, Princess Tomoyo Daidouji, and Princess Meiling Li. Eriol, Meiling, and Syaoran are cousins and Tomoyo is the love of Eriol's life.

"Oh, Syaoran-kun, don't frown; we want to welcome the guest with a smile now don't we?" teased Eriol

Eriol hadn't been in front of guests before, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out to have a smile when welcoming guest.

'_He's right. Hmm… I'm sure everything will be fine.'_ sighed Syaoran inwardly.

The horns sound signaling the arrival of the guest. The next 10 to 15 minutes filled with welcome's and have a seat's and pleased to meet you's and handshakes. This princess didn't try any of the eyelash flashing or anything. She kept a calm exterior and was polite to everyone.

"_At least she's modest not like all those other princesses. Hmm… but I feel more like her brother than her love. I wonder if I'm asking for too much."_ thought Syaoran.

After the welcoming period, the court settled down and the court speaker introduced the entertainment. On her cue, Xiao Ying stepped in and did her bent knees-hands to right polite posture and started her routine. Her movements were graceful beyond imagination. Her dance seemed to have a life of its own. The dress she wore fitted her perfectly and it enhanced the beauty of the routine. Everyone was captivated by her dancing. Xiao Ying was so absorbed into the routine, she didn't notice the audience. Of course, she loves dancing, so it didn't matter. The fact was the performance was incredible beyond imagination. Everyone loved the performance. When Xiao Ying finished her routine, a large round of applause greeted her.

"_Why does this dancer look somewhat familiar? Have I seen her somewhere before?"_ thought Terada while he applaud.

Had Xiao Ying's eyes been open when she faced him, he would have known. Green eyes like those were one of a kind. And had Xiao Ying not been so into the routine that she didn't notice anyone, she would have known too. But Xiao Ying's eyes WEREN'T open when they faced King Terada and Xiao Ying DIDN'T notice, so neither of them knew.

Xiao Ying stepped back out of the throne room once her performance is finished and went back to her quarters. Everyone was clapping until Xiao Ying was totally out of the throne room.

"Wow… I never saw a performance like that before." commented Princess Rika, King Terada's daughter.

"Yes, absolutely wonderful. The girl seemed a bit familiar to me, what's her name?" asked Terada

"Her name is Xiao Ying, you've seen her before?" asked Queen Yelan.

"I don't think I have seen her before, but she does seem a bit familiar." said Terada

"Would you like me to summon her?" asked Queen Yelan.

"No, not necessary." replied Terada

"Very well." said Queen Yelan

With that, the banquet started and they discussed court and other matters. Soon, it was time for the royalties to have some fun and dance themselves. Eriol and Tomoyo of course immediately took each others hands and started to dance. This was the part that Syaoran hated. The Queen came up to Syaoran.

"Come on dear son, Princess Rika is not like the other princesses, ask her to dance." Queen Yelan urged Syaoran

"Yes mother." sighed the prince.

Syaoran walked off.

'_Well, she isn't like the other princesses. Maybe I am asking for too much.'_ thought Syaoran.

Syaoran bowed to Princess Rika and they started dancing. Princess Rika could tell that Prince Syaoran didn't ask her to dance on his own. She is an observant person.

"I'm sorry." apologized Rika.

"For what?" asked Syaoran.

"I know that you didn't ask me to dance on your own, I can tell." said Rika

"It's ok." said Syaoran.

"I can tell that you think of me more as a sibling and I accept that. Some things you can't force." said Rika.

"You really are different." said Syaoran.

Princess Rika smiled. She didn't mind that Syaoran thought for her more as a sibling. Throughout the dance Syaoran wondered if he was asking for too much. He wanted his bride to love him and he wanted to love her back, but so far, there was no connection like that. It was confusing him.

(Next day)

Xiao Ying did her daily routine as usual. She watered the garden ever so carefully and was on the overbridge to head to get the bath ready when she saw King Terada pass under the overbridge. She stifled a gasp. She could recognize him anywhere. She just hopes that he didn't recognize her. She rushed to her quarters and locked the doors. Xiao Ying took deep breaths. She sat on her bed trying to calm herself.

"It can't be. It just can't." she murmured to herself.

Xiao Ying got up and sat down at her table. She picked up the tea pot there and poured tea into a cup, her hand shaking. She held the cup still trembling and drank some. She put down her cup and went to her bed. She unzipped the zipper of the bag she used to wrap the thick cotton and other padding. This was used as a mattress. Inside were layers of cotton and other padding material. Xiao Ying slipped her hand in between the thick padding and brought out a jade attached to a short red string. The circular jade showed a dragon and a Chinese character on the other side. Xiao Ying sat on her bed again. She looked at the jade. Xiao Ying's hold on the jade grew tight and she clutched it.

"That was 7 years ago" she said.

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Hmm...What happened 7 years ago? One way to find out, review! 


	2. Chapter 2

Hey everyone. I know I know, my updating time is so slow. don't worry though. I'll update on it a lot faster. I had to change all conversations and do a lot of editing although it doesn't sound like a lot. And for those that read the first two parts because I seperated the original first part in two, don't worry, I have the next part ready to post, I just need some reviews, so you guys know what to do once you finisah reading this part.

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**PART 2**

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Xiao Ying immediately shoved the jade back between the thick padding and zipped the zipper again. With that Xiao Ying hurried to the princesses' bath chamber and got the bath ready. The two princesses stepped in just in time. The three of them would talk and chat and that stuff, but today, Xiao Ying was being unusually quiet.

"Xiao Ying?" called Tomoyo

"Oh, yes?" asked Xiao Ying.

"You looked spaced out today, what's wrong?" asked Meiling.

"Nothing" answered Xiao Ying.

"Xiao Ying, we have been friends forever, we know that something is wrong." said Tomoyo.

"Really, I'm fine." said Xiao Ying trying to cover up.

"Your face tells us something else." said Meiling.

"What's wrong?" Tomoyo asked again.

"Really nothing's wrong." assured Xiao Ying.

"What's wrong? You talk to us about all kinds of stuff." asked Tomoyo concerned.

"Yeah, it's obvious enough that something's wrong." said Meiling

Xiao Ying took a deep breath. She couldn't hide it from her friends though she wished she could.

"I'm just…thinking about my parents." said Xiao Ying.

"Oh, you never talked much about your parents, tell us." said Tomoyo intrigued.

"Come to think of it, you don't talk about your past period." commented Meiling.

"Yeah. You near talked about the 10 years before you came here." agreed Tomoyo.

"Oh, regular life, nothing special." said Xiao Ying.

"Well, you're friends with princesses and you say that's nothing special?" teased Meiling.

"I meant my old life is nothing special." said Xiao Ying.

"How come you talk about your past so little?" asked Tomoyo.

"I… let's just say painful memories." said Xiao Ying.

"Oh, I'm sorry." apologized Tomoyo.

"That's ok." said Xiao Ying.

Over the next five days, Xiao Ying did her daily routine, but she was spaced out and all her friends knew it. Xiao Ying was clumsier than usual and she hardly heard what other people said those few days. Her brother was worried, but didn't get a chance to talk with Xiao Ying. Tori wondered why Xiao Ying seemed so spaced out. He was doing his patrol around the castle, (he's an imperial guard, NOT a eunuch) when he spotted King Terada from an overbridge. He knew immediately why Xiao Ying was spaced out. He went to Xiao Ying's quarters and luckily found her there. Tori pulled his sister into her room and locked the door.

"Why didn't you tell me that he's here?" asked Tori upset that his sister didn't tell him about this.

"I didn't want you to overreact." said Xiao Ying.

"You're right I will. I'm going to strangle that guy." said Tori in a low angry voice.

"No! He's a king. You can't. You'll be executed." said Xiao Ying shaken.

"That guy! The only thing he did is make the land dark and made the citizens go into poverty and you know it!" yelled Tori in a low voice.

"Of course I do, but we can't do anything. We're servants." said Xiao Ying.

"I don't care! That guy killed out parents and I won't let him get away with it!" Tori hissed his voice a bit louder than necessary.

"Quiet down! Someone will hear." urged Xiao Ying.

"Sorry." apologized Tori.

"Our pass life is behind us. We are not Sakura and Touya anymore. We're Xiao Ying and Tori." said Xiao Ying.

"The names don't matter. We still have the same blood." reasoned Tori.

"Tori please, He's leaving the day after tomorrow. Promise me that you won't do anything foolish and reveal that we're still alive. The old life is over." plead Xiao Ying.

"Ok, for you.. I'll do it to protect my sister. I'll keep my distance from him so I won't explode and strangle him." agreed Tori.

"Good. This is our life now. Just forget that we were ever Sakura and Touya." said Xiao Ying hugging her brother, the only family she had left.

Tori agreed. He'll do it to protect his sister. He himself was boiling. This guy ruined their life. He killed their parents, caused them to change names and identity, and become servants here and he still had to show up in front of them again? Tori hate him.

Luckily Tori steered clear of King Terada the next day otherwise, Tori really would have strangled him. King Terada knew that Xiao Ying looked a bit familiar but didn't understand it. He felt like he saw her somewhere before, but didn't know where.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Son, what do you think of Princess Rika?" Yelan asked her son.

"She's ok. At least she isn't one of those princesses that flashes eyelashes and do all those other flirty stuff." responded Syaoran.

"Well I'm glad you have a good impression of Princess Rika. As you know, you need a bride..." started Yelan before she got cut off by Syaoran.

"Mother, I know what you are going to say. Since she isn't one of those, you want us to get married." said Syaoran.

"Yes son. You need a bride." said Yelan.

"Mother, I feel more like her brother. I just don't have that connection to her." said Syaoran.

"Son, you are 18, you need a bride and we don't have time." said Yelan starting to get exasperated.

"I know, I know" said Syaoran throwing his hands up in frustration as he leaves.

(At the garden)

Xiao Ying was carrying a bucket of water to the garden and had arrived there when she saw King Terada walk off. He didn't see Xiao Ying, but she saw him. Her hands went numb and dropped the bucket of water she was holding. Luckily King Terada didn't hear it. Xiao Ying picked up the bucket and was going to get some more water, but slipped on the water on the floor. She tried to pick herself up, but couldn't. Xiao Ying pushed her hands on the ground again trying to heave herself up, but no avail. She was about to pushed once more when a voice stopped her.

"Here, let me help you." The voice said extending a hand to help her up.

"Prince Syaoran, I couldn't…" gasped Xiao Ying and got cut off as he pulled her up by the hand.

Xiao Ying heart skipped a beat at the touch. His comforting hands pulled her up gently.

Xiao Ying struggled to do her polite posture as she said thank you, but she started to fall again. Prince Syaoran held onto her shoulders and steadied her quickly saying no need. He was able to see her bright green eyes.

"Thank you, Prince Syaoran." thanked Xiao Ying afraid to look up at his face.

"No big deal." said Syaoran.

Xiao Ying was seriously scared. Not only were regular men and women not allow this type of contact, it was the prince that was helping her. They shifted positions and Syaoran helped Xiao Ying to the seat in the back of the garden. Syaoran would've stayed a bit longer if they didn't run into another servant girl who happened to be Xiao Ying's friend Naoko.

"Xiao Ying you ok?" asked Naoko, a fellow palace servant girl and one of Xiao Ying's best friends.

"Yeah." assumed Xiao Ying

"You're so lucky, the prince touched you!" said Naoko almost squealing

"Don't go around saying that!" said Xiao Ying in a panicky voice.

"You two looked so right together. I can just tell that you two are meant to be together." squealed Naoko in a low voice.

"Naoko! He's the prince! Stop saying that! You're going to get me executed!" hissed Xiao Ying.

"Ok, I'm sorry. But seriously, you two look like soulmates." said Naoko.

"You say that one more time…" threatened Xiao Ying.

"Ok, I'll keep my mouth shut." said Naoko raising her hands in defeat.

Neither Xiao Ying nor the prince thought much of the encounter. Xiao Ying just happen to trip and the prince just happen to be there and thus helped her. Thus passed the next two days.

It is now time for King Terada and Princess Rika to leave. The entire royal Li family was seeing them off.

"We hope you have a safe journey." said Yelan.

"Thank you." thanked Terada.

"We hoped you enjoyed your stay." said Yelan.

"I most certainly did." assured Terada.

The two royal families waved and with that, King Terada and Princess Rika left. Finally Xiao Ying and Tori were relieved. They haven't had a peaceful night sleep for quite a while even if it had only been one night for Tori.

(next day)

Everything was finally back to normal. Everybody was starting to get excited because the Annual Li Kingdom Festival is coming up. There will be a whole carnival-like event with lots of games and competitions. This was a huge event where everyone enjoyed themselves and had fun. The entire kingdom was starting to prepare for it. Xiao Ying and her brother are finally relieved now that King Terada was gone. Thus everyone was excited and at ease. Well, almost everyone…

Xiao Ying was doing her usual daily work when she encountered her friend Chiharu. Chiharu seemed to be relieved to see her.

"Hey Xiao Ying, can I ask you a favor?" asked Chiharu.

"Sure, what is it?" said Xiao Ying.

"Well… I kind of… umm…iwannagoonadatewithyamazakibutihavemaidwork." said Chiharu, the last part real fast.

"Run that by me again." said Xiao Ying cocking an eyebrow.

"I have a date, but I have maid work" said Chiharu her face red with embarrassment.

"I thought you said that." said Xiao Ying.

"Can you help me?" asked Chiharu shyly.

"Sure, you have to tidy the prince's quarter's right?" said Xiao Ying.

"Yeah, that's right." confirmed Chiharu.

"Ok, go have fun." said Xiao Ying.

"Thanks, I owe you big time." thanked Chiharu while running off.

Xiao Ying shook her head smiling. Once Chiharu ran out of sight, Xiao Ying turned and headed towards the prince's quarters to do her maid work. Once Xiao Ying arrived at the prince's quarters, she started to work.

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hope you guys are enjoying the story. You know to click on the review button if you guys want the next few parts.


	3. Chapter 3

thank you to those who reviewed. and i forgot to mention in my last update about the Rika and Terada situation. My first reveiwer brought up the Elektra complex. Yes, I know about the Rika Terada pairing, but the pairing does NOT exist in this particular fanfic.

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**PART 3**

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(at the garden)

"So, Syaoran-kun, how are things of late?" asked Price Eriol.

"Mother's pressuring me again." Syaoran sighed.

"To find a bride?" confirmed Eriol.

"Yes, and I can't stand it." confirmed Syaoran.

"Understandable, it is a lot of pressure, especially since, you are to inherit the throne." said Eriol.

"I just know that mother is going to arrange a marriage between me and Princess Rika." said Syaoran.

"And what is your opinion of this?" asked Eriol.

"I see her more as a sibling and I repeated that many times to mother, but she ignores me." said Syaoran exasperated.

"Well, is there any maiden that could hold your interest?" asked Eriol.

"These things just can't... oh, forget it. Enough of that, the Li Kingdom festival is in a few weeks. Are you planning on entering one of the competitions?" said Syaoran.

"If I know correctly, both of us are entering the sword fighting competition." said Eriol.

"Of course, we better practice, I'll just grab my sword." said Syaoran.

With that, Prince Syaoran headed to his quarters to get his sword. At the prince's quarters, Xiao Ying was busy working. Xiao Ying had just finished making the bed when she heard footsteps just outside the room doorway. By the time Xiao Ying turned around, the prince entered the room.

"Prince Syaoran." greeted Xiao Ying in her polite gesture.

"At ease" said Syaoran.

"Thank you." thanked Xiao Ying.

"I thought someone else did my room." said Syaoran.

"I'm just helping out a friend." said Xiao Ying.

"Very well, where have you placed my sword?" asked Syaoran.

"Your sword is by the corner." answered Xiao Ying.

"Oh, I see it, thank you." said Syaoran.

"Glad to be of service." Xiao Ying replied.

Prince Syaoran took the sword and headed towards the door. Just as he was about to leave, he turned around to face Xiao Ying.

"You dance very well." complimented Syaoran.

The prince turned around and left leaving Xiao Ying speechless.

(a bit later)

Xiao Ying was with some of her friends in the garden. They were all chatting about Chiharu's date, which made Chiharu blush head to toe.

"You are so lucky Chiharu, get to go on a date." said Princess Tomoyo.

"You have someone you love Tomoyo, you know the feeling." commented Princess Meiling,

"Well, it's still wonderful. Looking into each other's eyes, gazing at stars." said Tomoyo giggling.

"It was a day date, not a night day, Princess Tomoyo." said Chiharu embarrassed.

"It's still romantic." said Tomoyo.

"Chiharu, you owe Xiao Ying you know, if it wasn't for her…" giggled Naoko.

"I know, thank you so much Xiao Ying." thanked Chiharu.

"Oh, no problem, glad you had fun. Just don't do it again. You should ask Naoko to help next time." said Xiao Ying.

"Is there a problem?" asked Chiharu confused.

"The prince unexpectedly returned to his quarters to get his sword." explained Xiao Ying.

"Oh. But what exactly is the problem in an encounter with the prince?" asked Chiharu.

Xiao Ying immediately blushed remembering when the prince helped her that time she tripped a few days ago.

"Xiao Ying?" asked Meiling.

"You never blush." pointed out Chiharu

"Don't tell me you have a crush on my cousin." said Meiling in a sort of disgusted voice.

"Of course not! It's just uncomfortable to have encounters with the prince." said Xiao Ying.

"Oh really? You had encounters with a million different guys. I don't see why you would be uncomfortable." said Tomoyo in a mocking tone.

"You see, Xiao Ying tripped a few days ago and the prince helped her." explained Naoko.

"Oh, I see." said Meiling in a sly tone.

"It's nothing like that!" said Xiao Ying panic in her voice.

"We understand don't we?" said Tomoyo in that sly tone of hers.

"Don't tell me you guys don't believe me. You guys are my best friends." said Xiao Ying disappointed.

"Of course we believe you Xiao Ying." assured Tomoyo in her normal voice.

"Yeah, we were just kidding with you." assured Meiling.

"Although you never blush, so that's new." said Chiharu

"Well, it's embarrassing. I'm a servant. I can't get involved with the prince." said Xiao Ying.

"Well, the Li Kingdom festival is coming up. Anyone plan on entering." asked Chiharu starting a new topic.

"I plan on singing." answered Tomoyo.

"You'll surely win." said Meiling.

"Yeah, you're really good." commented Xiao Ying.

"Yeah! We're supporting you all the way!" encouraged Naoko.

"Thanks." thanked Tomoyo.

"Hey Xiao Ying, aren't you going to enter the dance competition, you'll surely win." said Naoko.

"Yeah, no doubt." supported Chiharu.

"I don't have the time." said Xiao Ying.

"Don' t worry, since you helped me, I'll help you." offered Chiharu.

"But yours was just one day." said Xiao Ying.

"Don't worry. Go ahead and enter the dance competition." encouraged Chiharu.

"Yeah! I'll help too!" said offered Naoko.

"Really, I don't have to enter…" started before Chiharu cut her off.

"You'll be great!" said Chiharu.

"Yeah!" said Naoko.

"I'll be there to support you too." said Tomoyo.

"So will I!" said Mailing.

"Ok, thanks guys. I'll do my best." said Xiao Ying grateful.

"That's the spirit!" said Naoko.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The sound of clinging swords vibrated through the castle. The two princes are practicing for the competition.

"Well, that was a nice workout." said Eriol.

"Whatever." said Syaoran in a dull voice.

"Now, don't be like that just because the queen is rushing you for a bride." said Eriol

"Like you understand." said Syaoran.

"I don't comprehend your pressure, but I do comprehend that there must be some maiden that you can connect with." reasoned Eriol.

Syaoran just sighed. It's just too much. Suddenly a picture of Xiao Ying flashed through Syaoran's mind.

"_That's forbidden. I can't be with her. Wait a minute! I don't like her. I just happened to help her. You don't have to like a person to help them. That was such a silly thought."_ thought Syaoran.

(next day)

Xiao Ying looked at the flowers as she carefully took care of them. It was the end of August. The flowers would soon finish blooming and go into hibernation for the winter. The festival will be in two weeks and everyone is getting more and more excited. Of course, the prince only got more pressured.

"Mother!" Syaoran called out exasperated.

"Son, you need a bride and I don't see why you can't marry Princess Rika." reasoned Yelan.

"Because I feel like her brother! I don't have that special feeling." explained Syaoran trying to remain calm.

"Then who? You reject all the other princesses because of their flirtatious attitude, but you don't "feel" for Princess Rika., then who?" said Yelan starting to lose her patience.

"I don't know, but just give me some time. If I really am asking for too much, then at least give me some time to get to know Princess Rika better. That's ok isn't it?" bargained Syaoran.

"Alright, we'll both take a step back." agreed Yelan.

"Thank You mother." said Syaoran.

With that Syaoran stepped out of the throne room and started to aimlessly walk around the palace. He felt so confined, caged. He wanted to get out of the palace at least for now; actually he needed to get out of the palace. He walked through the palace gates not caring about the guards, just flashing them his royal seal.

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	4. Chapter 4

I'm back everyone. Wow, almost a month since an update. Sorry about that. I had so much to do and I needed to fix this story up. I did some major editing on this from the original version of this I had. The beginning is pretty much the same, but the newly released ones are really different from the original verson. and don't worry. for being so patient, i'm giving you a longer chapter! enjoy.

lady maia and VcChick thank you for staying with my story. I hope the two of you continue to review and thank you to others that took the time to read this story.

and lady maia: please take notice of their interactions, it's not a moonlight walk or watching the sunset, but remember, prince and servants are hardly allowed to talk and yet they have already touched during a situation in which according to the rules, another servant would help, not the prince and already starting to get intrgued by the other. Remember the momentary flash of Sakura in Syaoran's mind? and don'te worry, they're slowly getting closer.

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**PART 4**

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Xiao Ying took a deep breath. For once it seem like she couldn't come up with a routine, like she did every routine already. Xiao Ying discussed some ideas with Meilin and Tomoyo, but they just said everything's good, so it wasn't much help. She snuck out She needed some time and peace. Once she was beyond palace walls, she quietly walked around the outside of the castle. She looked up at the clouds and her old life flooded back to her. She could remember the dreadful day that her life changed so drastically.

(flashback)

The clinging sound of metal vibrated everywhere. Small fires crackled here and there. Bunches of men, women, and children where running for their lives. A young girl no more than 10 ran and ran for here life.

"Help me! Mother! Father! Touya!" the young girl yelled out trying desperately to escape the people that were chasing her.

The young girl felt a strong arm grab her and pull her off to the side narrowing escaping whatever weapon it was that was thrown in her direction The darkness that was around them prevented the people there from seeing anything clearly. All they could see were outlines and silhouettes of the things around them. The young girl looked to see who it was that had saved her and was relieved to make out the face of her brother.

"Get them! We must NOT left the children escape!" the seemingly leader of the group yelled.

The group charged at the two young children. The young brother fought off the o0ncoming soldiers with all his might. A sword from one of the soldiers came barreling down towards the young man fighting for his life and to protect his sister's. The young girl with no hesitation grabbed a sword from a fallen soldier and intercepted the sword coming for her brother and stabbed the soldier. Of course fighting isn't much help since more and more soldiers were coming. The young brother grabbed his sister's hand and they fled. The journey was not easy. Avoiding the soldiers and enemies was dangerous and the journey was long. No one knew how long it was before the two siblings reached the Li Kingdom.

(end of flashback)

Xiao Ying shook her head. Why was she thinking about it? Her brother let it go. She slowly walked forward. She walked down a quiet path with some flowers and plants along the side. The sound of water rushing down into the steam below greeted her. Sparkling water rushed down into the stream flowing away in the most carelessness of manners. On the other side was the forest. The forest that stretched miles that signaled the border of the Li territory. Xiao Ying walked to the huge cherry blossom tree there and sat below it. The petals blew gently in the wind and landed on the ground softly. Others swirled around her. It really made her look like an absolute goddess. Xiao Ying took a deep breath, letting the late summer air calm her. Autumn is starting to come. Footsteps came down the path she had just come out of. She gasped as she saw who it is. She immediately did her polite gesture.

"Prince Syaoran." greeted Xiao Ying in her polite gesture.

"Yes, aren't you suppose to be in the castle." asked Syaoran.

"Yes, I will return right away." said Xiao Ying

Xiao Ying started to head towards the path, but was interrupted by the prince.

"It's quite alright. I can't handle it either." said Syaoran facing the waterfall.

Xiao Ying turned around to see the prince looking at the majestic waterfall back facing her.

"I'm sorry." Xiao Ying apologized.

"No big deal, sometimes you just can't stand it." said Syaoran still facing the waterfall.

"Yeah" Xiao Ying agreed.

Xiao Ying sat down under the trees again. She looked up at the sky, the clouds rolling by carelessly. She still had no idea what she would do for the festival and is was only two weeks away. The prince's voice broke her thoughts.

"Have you ever felt caged? Like you can never be yourself?" asked the prince not specifically asking anyone.

Xiao Ying was startled by this question. Memories of her old life came flooding back to her. That's when it dawned on her. She's living a fake life now. Eventually, she and her brother would be found and there then there's going to be another battle and more fighting.

"I know exactly what you mean." said Xiao Ying staring at the sky.

Syaoran turned to face her.

"Really?" asked Syaoran.

"Yeah, being royalty, you can't be who you really are. You need to have certain poise and all that." replied Xiao Ying looking at Syaoran.

"Yeah. And there's always the duty of marrying and all that. A lot of people want to be royalty. They think that they have servants and all that is the life. But when you're royalty you never have the freedom of being yourself or expressing yourself." said Syaoran.

"That's just the way the world works." said Xiao Ying.

Syaoran stared at Xiao Ying now. He couldn't peel his eyes off her. Her emerald eyes are so captivating and sparkled with understanding. Her hair sparkled in the sun. She looks so beautiful and delicate, like the gentlest touch would break her. He didn't know why, but he felt that she understood the frustration he's going through. She's so kind and understanding. He saw it in her eyes. The kindness, the understanding. He just had this urge to hold her and talk about all that was going on. She was holding her gaze at the ground being cautious about their interactions because of their ranks in society. Syaoran looked away at the ground feeling silly. He hardly knew anything about her, and here he was talking to her like he knew her forever. Yet he knew that she understood everything he said.

"I don't even know why I'm talking to you like this." said Syaoran staring at the ground.

"Don't worry about it. I'm a servant. My job is to provide you with the things you need. If you need someone to talk to, I am to provide that." said Xiao Ying smiling.

Syaoran looks over at the waterfall again. If only his troubles could wash away like the water flowing down the steam. For a while, the two looked at the stream wishing their troubles would wash away, but that's never going to happen. Xiao Ying stood up.

"Prince Syaoran, I better take my leave. I have duties back at the palace." said Xiao Ying.

"I suppose you should go then." said Syaoran.

Xiao Ying looked at the prince as he gave his response. When he said it, it was in a normal tone like "Sure, you can go", but it sounded a bit different, like there was another emotion behind it.

'_Why does it sound different? He almost sounds disappointed, but he couldn't be. And even if he is, he's a prince and I'm a servant. It's forbidden and impossible. And besides, a prince would never like a servant. Why would a prince like a servant with so many princesses around? And those princesses will definitely be more then willing to give themselves to him.'_ Xiao Ying thought.

Xiao Ying did her polite gesture before working back down the path back to the castle. The prince turned around to stare at the waterfall again.

'_Ok, why do I suddenly feel all alone? She was just a servant. There are a million of those.'_ thought Syaoran.

'_Yeah, a servant's that's really beautiful. Did you see those eyes?'_ the thought nagged at Syaoran.

'_Where did that come form?'_ thought Syaoran.

Syaoran shook his head. What was he thinking anyways? He headed back to the castle.

Two days later, Xiao Ying closed her room door behind her and sat at her table to pour herself a cup of warm tea. She looked around after she drank it. Something seemed different about her room, but she couldn't place it.

'_Maybe it's just me. Mother, father.'_ she thought.

She missed them so much. She couldn't help but unzip the zipper of her bedding pad that was really her mattress and reach for her jade. Her eyes grew wide. She couldn't find it. She looked at the mattress wrap and blanket cover bag. That was what seemed different. They were changed, but she had just changed them a week ago, why were they changed again? When were they changed? If someone found her jade, they would know her identity, especially Terada. She took deep breaths trying to calm herself down. She ran into the laundry room.

"Naoko!" Xiao Ying called to her friend that she saw in the back and ran up to her.

"Xiao Ying? What's wrong?" Naoko asked.

"What happened to my bed spreads?" Xiao Ying asked worriedly.

"We finished those. Check the laundry deck." said Naoko.

"Thanks." Xiao Ying called back as she ran out.

She ran to the laundry deck where the clothes were placed to dry when they were done. There was nothing there when she got there. She looked around in horror. Even the poles were taken down. This means that they were doing the last batch of laundry right now and they were going to close the laundry room for the night. They would put up the poles in the room and hang the last batch up in there and the laundry that was out here was taken down. Those that were dry would be returned to the owner, and those still wet would be hung up with the last batch of laundry. She looked on the ground and along the walls scared that someone might have found it. She searched that ground of the laundry deck everywhere, but couldn't find it. Xiao Ying got more worried. She followed the path of the laundry deck and arrived at the back door where she saw the prince.

"Prince Syaoran" she greeted in her polite gesture.

"What are you doing back here?" the prince asked concerned at the worry Xiao Ying was showing.

"I was just looking for something." She answered.

"Do you need help? It sounds really important" Syaoran said.

"No need. Just a little trinket." Xiao Ying assured.

"Alright" Syaoran said slowly not really convinced.

That's when a messenger came up and informed the prince the queen wants to see him. He looked at Xiao Ying again concerned before leaving. Xiao Ying searched the entire path again and the laundry deck, but no luck. She went back to her quarters seriously worried. If Terada gets a hold of that jade, she's in huge trouble. She searched her room hoping that it had just slipped out and was in there, but no luck. A knock came on the door and Chiharu came in. She gasped at Xiao Ying searching frantically.

"Xiao Ying? What's going on?" she asked.

"I lost my…trinket that my parents gave me." Xiao Ying answered.

"A trinket? Is it a jade of some sort?" Chiharu asked.

"You saw it?" Xiao Ying asked frantic.

"Calm down. I accidentally got tea all over your sheets so I took them to get washed. I found the jade in the padding, but I don't know why you would put it there." Chiharu explained as she took the jade out of her pocket and hand it back to her.

"Did you show it to anyone?" Xiao Ying asked a bit relieved that she got it back.

"No. I totally forgot about it." Chiharu said.

"Thank You Chiharu." Xiao Ying said.

""Hmm, it looks a bit familiar, have I seen it somewhere before?" said Chiharu.

Xiao Ying's face immediately froze.

"Of course not, it's just something that my parents gave me. Why would you have seen this before?" Xiao Ying said trying to cover up.

Chiharu shrugged before saying, "Yeah, you're right." and left apologizing once for causing the mishap. Good thing no one saw the jade. She bumped into the prince again later and he of course asked her what she was so worried about earlier that day. Neither she nor him knew why they started to be more concerned with each other's issues. They just dismissed it as a regular concern, but is it or is this turning into something more? Both hoped that it was regular concern. If this turned into anything more, they would both be in huge trouble and Xiao Ying would no doubt be beheaded. Their current interactions are already starting to get unacceptable for a prince and a servant girl.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

(at King Terada's castle)

"_Why does she look familiar? It's like I saw her before, but where and when?" _thought Terada.

Princes Rika is confused seeing this. Why does her father seem so troubled?

"Father?" Rika called her father.

"Yes?" asked Terada snapping out of his thoughts.

"You seem troubled." said Rika.

"I'm fine. Queen Yelan and I were thinking of letting you and Prince Syaoran get to know each other more. What do you think?" said Terada.

"That's fine with me." answered Rika.

Just then, a messenger came in and bowed to the king.

"Yes?" asked Terada.

"The Li Kingdom has invited your majesty to their festival." The messenger said.

"Very well. Reply that we would be honored to attend." said Terada.

"Yes, your majesty." said the messenger.

With another bow, the messenger left to deliver the message.

"_Who is she? Why is it like I have seen her before? Maybe I can figure out who she is at the festival."_ thought Terada.

With a sigh, the king got up from the throne and went to his quarters leaving Rika very confused.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Xiao Ying thought she would never come up with a routine for the festival, but she suddenly got the perfect routine. She can already see herself doing the entire routine. These kinds of things happen. She could get inspiration so suddenly. Once she did the princesses' bath, she immediately started to practice. The routine was different from the others she had done. She used to use fans most of the time for dancing, sometimes ribbons. This time she wouldn't use those. In her quarters, Xiao Ying pulled out a green gown from her closet that she used in her performances. The material was smooth and the sun that shined on it cast the gown in a sparkling glow. The golden borders looked stunning. She wasn't a person to take things for granted and had only used this gown in the more important performances for more important guests, but this gown was perfect for her routine.

Over the next two weeks, other than the jade incident, Xiao Ying practiced her routine, Tomoyo practiced her song and the princes practiced their sword skills. Two weeks passed by just like that. Everyone was ready for the festival and competitions. That morning, carriages were all ready to take everyone in the castle to the city. People in different villages at the border of the kingdom traveled all the way to attend the festival. The people in the castle set out. In a couple of hours, they will arrive in the city.

When they arrived in the city, all the citizens are hustling and bustling. The huge stage in the center is the competitions stage. That's where all the competitions will take place. Of course, Queen Yelan would address the citizens first. Stalls are all over selling various merchandise whether it be food or other things. After a few minutes, a huge bang can be heard. It came from the huge gong on the stage. Of course almost everybody was already there. They knew it is time to start the competitions. The queen stood on stage smiling at her citizens.

"As everyone knows, today is the Kingdom Festival. This one day we celebrate life itself. Today I have a guest with me. Please welcome King Terada!" announced the queen.

At this everyone applaud. Xiao Ying stood there frozen. She had no idea that King Terada was coming. King Terada took the stage.

"Thank You Queen Yelan. I am honored to be a part of this festival. Without further ado…" Terada started.

King Terada picked up the stick with a spherical top on the table at the back of the stage. It was a huge version of a drumstick that people use to play drums and bang the gong.

"…I declare the beginning of the competitions!" he finished.

Everyone went shouting and squealing. The court announcer that played mc for the competitions took the stage and announced the art contest. Those that entered must create an original work of art, a masterpiece. A few more contests took place before the singing contest. Tomoyo went with the other contestants and waited for her turn. Pretty soon she was up. She stepped up to the stage and started singing. Her melody rang loud and clear, filled with emotion. Her voice captivated the hundreds of thousand of people that watched. The last note lingered in the air before it settled. The crowd was mesmerized at her voice. It was obvious she had won even if the results won't be spoken until all the competitions are done. Next was the dancing. Xiao Ying followed the other contestants and waited patiently for her turn. When her turn came she stepped on stage, her movement full of grace enhanced by the gown she wore. There was a scarf on her. The middle of the scarf was hidden behind her back, well the two ends were held in place around each of her arms. She stood at the center of the stage giving herself all the space she needed. She spun around spinning the scarf in the process and lowered herself into a different polite gesture where she was nearly all the way down and stayed there for a few seconds. The crowd gapped at her grace. It seemed so impossible. She spun around the other way and commenced the substance of her routine. She used the entire stage, something that the other competitors haven't done. She seemed to sparkle and her dancing seems to come to life. She moved with such style and grace that everyone stood still awestruck completely forgetting about moving like when Tomoyo sang. Xiao Ying was so into the routine she completely forgot about keeping her eyes shield. She landed in the same position as when she did the first move prior to the actual routine and opened her eyes making everyone even more awestruck if that was possible at her bright emerald green eyes. It was only then that she realized her mistake. She spotted King Terada in the crowd and the knowing look on his face told her he now knew who she is, but it was too late to repair the damage.

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I hope you like this part everyone. hmm...Why did Sakura and Touya changed their names to Xiao Ying and Tori? What has Terada got to do with it? and what did Terada find out now?

review if you want the answers to these questions, because the secrets are revealed in the next chapter. oh yeah. feel free to make guesses and predictions, I'm actually hoping to get some. What do you think Sakura and Touya are hiding?


	5. Chapter 5

hello everyone! and sorry sorry sorry for not updating for so so long. you guys are dying to know the secret, right? well, now is the time to reveal the secret! and I don't tihnk you guys will be too surprised by the secret, but i hope you enjoy it anyways. and now...without further ado...

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**PART 5**

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Xiao Ying walked off stage scared now that King Terada knew who she is. She immediately headed in the direction of her brother. The tension in the crowd calmed as the next contestant stepped on stage. Xiao Ying felt someone tap on her shoulder as she headed to her brother's spot. She turned around to see Tomoyo smiling at her.

"That was amazing. You are surely going to win!" exclaimed Tomoyo very excited, then saw the grave and worried look on Xiao Ying's face.

"Xiao Ying? What's wrong, you were awesome." said Tomoyo.

"I need to find my brother; I'll talk to you in a few minutes. I 'm sorry about this prin…" started Xiao Ying, but was cut off when Tomoyo covered Xiao Ying's mouth to prevent her form saying the last word.

"Don't say that word." cautioned Tomoyo.

"Sorry." apologized Xiao Ying

With that Xiao Ying moved to where her brother was. The crowd was giving her a tough time. She stepped forward only to collide with the crowd of people and started falling. She reached out her hand in desperation to grab something only to hold the air that was there. She was sure she's going to fall all the way, when she felt a strong hand take a hold of her wrist, and another arm around her waist pulling her back up. Emerald met Amber. Xiao Ying stood frozen from fear and shock. They just stood there frozen for a minute staring into each other's eyes. This was the first time they got a clear look at each other's eyes. A sudden spark of shock just sparked at that moment. You would think it's a prince rescuing a princess. One of his hands was around her wrist, and the other around her waist supporting her. One of her wrist in his hand and the other lightly just in contact with his chest. This kind of an interaction wasn't allowed. She quickly pulled her arms back and gave a minor bow as to show respect and gratitude, and at the same time kept the prince's identity a secret. Her heart raced as she made her way to her brother. Once she got to her brother, the bigger issue was at hand and her attention went back to the entirely huge, huge, huge problem she had.

"We have a problem." said Xiao Ying.

"Are you sure he saw your eyes?" asked Tori.

"I saw the look on his face. He knows." said Xiao Ying.

"This means war." said Tori.

"That's what I was afraid of." said Xiao Ying.

The two siblings stood there worried unsure of what to do. The dance competition finished and the last competition took place, the sword fighting competition. People watched attentively at the skills of the competitors. Two particular competitors kept winning their opponents. Their skills were unmatched, that was until it came down to the two of them fighting each other. Their speed and accuracy were amazing. They stopped the match so it ended out in a tie. Who knew how long it would be if they let the two of them go on. They announced the winners of the other competitions and of course Tomoyo and Xiao Ying won first place in their category, and Syaoran and .Eriol tied for first place in theirs. With so many competitions, by the time the competitions were over, it was late in the afternoon and the people from the castle had to return. The people from the castle piled in the carriages and returned to the castle and King Terada needed to return to his. By the time they returned, it was night and everybody headed to their quarters for bed. Of course Xiao Ying and Tori couldn't sleep. They were too worried. They laid awake for what seemed like forever before their tiredness took them into an uneasy sleep. They both had nightmares about that day. They ran and ran from those that were after them. They ran forever. Their clothes tattered. Dust gathered on them. They were tired, they were hungry, they were in danger… it was horrible.

(at Terada's castle)

'_So they are alive. Everyone thinks they died in the wilderness. I wonder where her brother is. Damn that I lost her in the crowd, otherwise I would know where the brother is. He's around; I will make sure I find him. As for herself, she has certainly grown into a beautiful young woman. Her beauty is unmatched, would make a perfect present for a son if I had one. Hmm…The young men here will definitely want a piece of her. I'll let them have her. Waste of beauty just to chop her head off.'_ thought Terada sinisterly.

Terada smirked; a cynical air filled the room he was in. He nodded his head a few times satisfied with the plan he had. He would pay a little visit to the Li Kingdom tomorrow and of course converse with a certain girl and her brother that escaped his clutches 7 years ago.

(next day in the throne room)

The queen looked up as footsteps came in to the room.

"King Terada has arrived, your majesty." informed the messenger.

"King Terada? What would bring him here? Bring him in." wondered the queen out loud.

"Yes your highness." said the messenger as he left and brought King Terada in.

"King Terada, please take a seat. We were not expecting you. Please excuse the awful welcome" said Yelan.

"No, no, quite adequate. I came here because I want to talk to you about the marriage between our children." said Terada.

"Of course, of course. We shall get them together more often so they could be more comfortable with each other." said Yelan.

"Of course, a very practical thing to do. Now I also have another thing I want to discuss with you." said Terada.

"Very well. That issue is?" said Yelan.

With that, Terada and Yelan started to discuss political issues dealing with strengthening defenses in case of attack and of making more efficient use of resources and etc. It totally sounded like Terada is a good person that wants to help the Li Kingdom. (key words sounded like)

It was 3 more hours before the discussion was over. Yelan thanked Terada. Terada knew he had won the trust of the Queen.

"_This will be a cinch."_ thought Terada.

He walked around the castle. He wanted to have a talk with a certain green eyed girl. He walked around the castle grounds for a while unable to find her. Just when he was about to pass the over bridge at the garden, he spotted an auburn haired girl, her back facing him. He smirked, he knew it was her. He walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned to face him and her face immediately paled.

"Why so scared…" said Terada.

Her leaned in next to Xiao Ying's ear and in a low voice so that only she can hear finished his words.

"…Princess Sakura" he finished and then pulled back.

(Note: Now that Xiao Ying's true identity is revealed, I will use Sakura instead of Xiao Ying from now on and Touya instead of Tori, except when Tomoyo, Meiling and the others call her cause they don't know her real identity. Sakura and Touya will still refer to each other as Tori and Xiao Ying just so that their identities don't get revealed to anyone else.)

"I am not Princess Sakura, not anymore. I am Xiao Ying and a mere servant." replied Sakura her face hard and determined.

"The name doesn't matter. Are you not still the daughter of Fujitaka? Do you not still have the same blood?" scoffed Terada.

"You have the throne. You destroyed the Kinomoto family. What more do you want from us?" pointed out Sakura.

"That's where you're wrong. The Kinomoto family isn't destroyed, not yet. Where is your brother? I know that he's here." said Terada in a menacing tone.

"I'll die before I tell you where he is." said Sakura.

"You have beauty that every other females wish to have. Don't make me use it against you. Where is your brother?" whispered Terada in a warning tone next to her ear.

"You're only worried about your throne. If we want the throne back, we would have done something about it 7 years ago. We are no threat to you, no longer." said Sakura whispering herself.

"Either way, I haven't seen him for 7 years, don't you think that I should get to see him?" teased Terada as he pulled back and crossed his arms.

"He doesn't want to see you." Sakura simply said.

"Don't force me." smirked Terada.

"It was my mistake to let you figure us out, so I will take the consequences." said Sakura.

"There's a lot more that you don't know. You think that you can avoid me by coming here? You're wrong. My dream is almost reality. My dream of taking the three major kingdoms under my rule. I have two of them, this is last one and I will have it. Then you won't be able to escape. You got away last time, but this time, you won't be so lucky. I'm sure my men will enjoy your company." smirked Terada.

"I won't let you get away with this like last time. My brother and I will stop you." said Sakura determined.

"We'll just see about that. There's nothing you can do to stop me." said Terada.

"I won't let you hurt more people." said Sakura.

Terada smirks once more and left. Sakura stared hard at his retreating figure. She couldn't let him get this kingdom. She couldn't let all her friends get hurt. That night right before everyone got in bed, she went to see her brother.

"Xiao Ying? What's wrong?" asked Touya worried.

"He spoke to me. He's going to take over this kingdom too." said Sakura.

"We can't let that happen." said Touya.

"I know, we need to prove to the prince and queen that he's planning to take this throne." said Sakura.

"We need to figure out some way to get that proof." said Touya. "If only the prince or queen heard what he said." continued Touya.

"I know." said Sakura.

"There's lots he has to do. It'll give us time, but not so much. We need to work quickly." said Touya.

"The sooner the better." nodded Sakura.

"There's not much we can do today, so let's get some rest." reasoned Touya.

Sakura nodded and went off to her quarters. She definitely didn't have a peaceful night. She was so worried about her friends and the kingdom and what kind of horrible things Terada had planned. She's a servant; she can't go out and accuse Terada a king of anything without proof. She needed proof and strong ones. Memories and the thoughts of her friends occupied her mind. She didn't want them to get hurt, and she had no idea what to do. The weird thing, Sakura found herself thinking not only of her friends, but of the prince too. For some reason, she was really worried about the prince, perhaps more so than her friends, but could it be true, that the prince is more important than her friends? Nah, she didn't want anyone to get hurt. She was spaced out again the next day. Her friends and others noticed of course.

(when Sakura was doing the princesses' bath)

"Xiao Ying, What's the matter? How come you suddenly just space out like that?" asked Tomoyo.

"Yeah, you can tell us, we're your friends." encouraged Meiling.

"If I said that you can't trust King Terada, would you believe me?" sighed Sakura.

"Well, we both saw how much he has helped this kingdom, but how come you're saying that we can't trust him?" asked Tomoyo.

"I knew you wouldn't believe me, never mind." said Sakura.

"Xiao Ying, It's not that we don't believe you; we want to know why you're saying we can't trust him." said Meiling.

"Because he only trying to take over this kingdom. I know. I…. Never mind. I'm a servant; I can't accuse anyone especially a king without hard solid proof." said Sakura.

"Xiao Ying, we're friends forever so don't take this harshly, but I find it hard to believe that King Terada would wish us harm." reasoned Tomoyo.

"I find it hard to believe too, but I also know that you don't lie Xiao Ying, so I trust that you can find proof." said Meiling.

"I know that you'll figure it out Xiao Ying." encouraged Tomoyo.

"Thanks." thanked Sakura.

"No problem." said Tomoyo and Meiling smiled encouragingly..

Sakura drew a breath that night. She wasn't sure how she can get the proof, but she had to. And time was running out, the more time she spent on figuring out how to get evidence, the more time he'll have to completely win over the trust of the kingdom, and the memorial of the passed away king is coming up in a few weeks, which means she'll be busy with preparations. Autumn has arrived and it won't be too long before it draws to a close. Winter would start and then the new year will begin. She sighed, she need to find proof and fast.

3 weeks past by just like that. Sakura and Touya spent all the time they could figuring out how to get proof of Terada's plans, but hardly made any progress. They stay away and acted like that didn't know each other as much as possible to avoid suspicion. Terada cannot know about Tori. 3 weeks, it was now time for the memorial of the passed away king of the Li Kingdom. To be exact it was the one year anniversary of the passed away king. Things were all prepared. At the most spiritual hour, all occupants of the castle will attend the memorial. Sakura saw the sadness in the queen and prince's eyes. It reminded her of her deceased father. She knew it was tough for the prince. He must find a bride. Women weren't allowed to rule, the only reason the queen was in charge now was because the prince didn't have a bride. He would be king once he has a bride. He would of course take advice form his mom because he was inexperienced. The ceremony started. People all over the palace heard the gong and bowed along with it. Most of the servants were doing it at their quarters. Sakura and a few others stayed behind in the ceremony room for clean up so they did it with the royals and the advisors. The ceremony went on. The queen and prince took their prayers and etc. It was over after a while. The last loudest gong sounded signaling the end of the ceremony. Everyone released their positions and those that want to or feel obligated to would go up and pray. Sakura went up and kneeled and bowed her head down. In her mind she wished for the best and hope that nothing bad will happen. She got up and started to clean up the area with the other servants. She took the extra unused supplies and stepped out to place those back in the storage area. Sakura saw the prince praying when she returned to finish cleaning up. The prince was the only one left, everyone else had gone out. The prince turned around to see the servant by the doorway. Sakura only smiled a bit gently and started to put away the rest of the supplies. The prince didn't leave yet. He just sat off to the side and watched her work. He didn't know why, but he just felt this calmness and comfort in her presence.

"Did you ever know your parents?" the prince can't help but ask.

"Somewhat, I kind of remember when the four of us was together and happy, but that was quite some time ago." Sakura replied.

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**my comments:**

let's hope things don't get worse then it already is


	6. Chapter 6

Over a month already. Don't worry everyone. This story will be finished.

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**PART 6**

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"Oh yeah, you have a brother right?" Syaoran asked for confirmation.

"Yeah." Sakura said slowly.

Sakura was getting a little nervous, she had to be really careful about what she said.

"What did you and your family do together?" Syaoran asked, not really able to spend time with his family, he wanted to know.

"Well, We kind of hung out around our home." Sakura answered. "I don't really think it matters when or what you do as long as you can spend time with your family." She continued.

"Wish I could do that, but every time mother's telling me to find a suitable bride, and she's expecting me to marry Princess Rika, and I just don't feel that way about her, she seems more like a sister to me. I just wish me and mother could spend some time together and talk like mother and son should rather then queen and prince." said Syaoran.

"Being royalty does that a lot." Sakura said thankful that in her olds days she was able to spend time with her family even though she herself was a royal, but she had let go of that 7 years ago, she is not a royal now and that's all that mattered.

"Yeah, you know, It's just so easy to talk with you, like I can just tell you everything I feel. I better go." The prince said getting up and leaving as Sakura bowed. She watched as he left and shrugged a bit before finishing the cleanup.

She sighed. This was the time of the year when things are real busy. First would be the festival, then the memorial and then the mid-autumn dance which was in 2 weeks. There will be more work tomorrow for the dance.

As expected the next day was busy with work for the dance. The preparations needed to be started right away because the dance was so close. Time was running out. The only thing they could do about the scam these two weeks was finish the surveys they had made to expose the horrors that Terada has done in his country right now. They needed to figure out ways to sneak the surveys out and sneak them back in without Terada knowing. As if that wasn't hard enough, the citizens may be too scared to say the truth. Terada may have guessed this was one of the things they might do and prepared for it. Even if this idea pulls through, they need to prove that Terada was going to take this kingdom, and that's nearly impossible. Even though the queen was very cautious, Terada was slowly winning her trust. If only the queen and the prince heard what he said. The two weeks passed by too quickly in their opinions, they didn't have time to figure out how to expose Terada at all. This wasn't good at all. They were running out of time. They have known about his scam for about a month already, and he started the plan before telling them. If they didn't find some way to expose him soon, they were all in major trouble. At least after this event, things will die down for the winter until New Years, then there will be a huge celebration welcoming the New Year and things will die down again, at least that was how things usually went, but if Terada was able to put his plan in action, New Years won't be all fun and games with celebration. It'll be more like war and bloodshed, but for now, the mid-autumn dance is tonight and Sakura of course is to perform the opening entertainment before the royals' dance, so she got ready. She just hopes that she can expose Terada before it's too late. Because of all the events, a month's time was already wasted.

Sakura's performance was of course exceptional like every other time she danced and captivated the audience. No one knew how her dancing can be so extravagant. It was amazing. Sakura glanced at Terada seeing him talk with the queen. He hadn't come to the castle since the last time he told his plans to Sakura and didn't have too much time to come here, but he was easily gaining the queen's trust even though the queen was very cautious. He was putting on too good of an act. They were running out of time. It was only a matter of time before he would put his plan into action. Sakura stepped out of the room. A man-made water channel in the castle was outside and she took some time to look into the water with the fish swimming carelessly.

'_You're so lucky fish; don't have to worry but anything.'_ She thought. The cold teasing voice of Terada entered her ears sending shivers down her spine.

"What's the matter? Can't expose me?" he taunted his voice low only for her to hear.

"Believe me, you will be exposed." She said.

"It's been over a month, and you still can't expose me. You have 2 and a half months left, let's see how you put them to use. If you can't defeat me, you know what I'll do." He said tauntingly and dangerously close to her ear.

Sakura stood there for a moment. Then she started to shiver. It was getting cold. She stepped back in to grab her cloak and leave, but she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to stare into the passion amber eyes that belonged to the prince. She brought herself into her bent-knees hands off to the right palm face down right on top of left position while greeting him.

"Prince Syaoran" she greeted in her polite gesture.

"It's alright. I was thinking, would you like to dance, it is your specialty after all." He asked.

"I am but a mere servant, I am not allowed to dance with people of higher rank especially your majesty." She said.

"Well, I didn't come here to stand still and do nothing so come on." he said as he took her left hand and lead her to the dance floor.

"But Prince Syaoran, I…" she started but got cut off.

"It's not that big of a deal, and anyone can mistake you as a princess, I'd mistake you for a princess if I haven't gotten accustomed to seeing you in servant clothes, those just don't match you." He said.

"You are over praising me, my prince; I am only a mere servant." She said.

"Alright then, I don't have to make it an order do I? Because I do not feel like coming here and doing nothing." He said.

"You should be dancing with a princess, why not Princess Rika?" she said.

"Because they already made me ask her to dance, and spending the rest of the night leaning against the wall drinking punch is silly." He said.

And so, Sakura got dragged into dancing with the prince. She was worried. She's a servant; she's not allowed to dance with the prince. He saw the worry in those beautiful emerald green eyes. They were so clear and full of emotion, a rare sight. They were so deep. For some reason he held her closer, as if trying to reassure her that nothing's going to happen, which only made her more nervous. He couldn't help but stare into those emerald green eyes that are so captivating. They danced for a while, a little longer than originally intended, but the prince doesn't seem to mind. Sakura of course just got more scared every extra second that she spent dancing with the prince, but she couldn't help it. She did her best to keep their contact the kind of contact there was between a servant and a prince, but she couldn't help it. They couldn't help but stare into each other's eyes. Sakura and Syaoran got lost in each other's eyes. They didn't take notice to anything going on around them. All they notice were each other. They danced for quite a while before they finally stopped.

Sakura left and went back to her quarters. She hated this. Why did she have to get dragged into dancing with the prince? Why couldn't he dance with another one of the high ranked girls there? Why couldn't she figure out a way to expose Terada? Why couldn't her heart stop racing? It was true. Everything was going wrong. She couldn't figure out a way to expose Terada, Her heart is beating like a maniac, why? That night neither the prince nor Sakura was able to stop their racing hearts. They couldn't get the dance out of their minds either. She couldn't stop thinking about his comforting arms and he couldn't stop thinking about her graceful movements that was so harmonious with his or her amazing eyes that was so beautiful that showed so much kindness, care, and understanding. No matter how hard they tired, they just couldn't stop thinking about each other. This is bad. It was totally against the rules, but no matter how hard they try, they just couldn't stop thinking about each other. They just hope that they won't fall in love, and that same thought occurred to both of them simultaneously, '_I can't fall in love with him/her_.'

Sakura and Syaoran were worried, really worried. What if they fell in love? They couldn't. It was totally forbidden. They reason with themselves that they were being silly and pushed the thoughts out of their heads. They had more important things to worry about anyways. Sakura walked back to her quarters a slight shiver came to her. It was getting cold. The end of autumn was coming and winter would be here soon, which wasn't good. She needed time as well as her brother to expose Terada, this wasn't good at all. Another 2 weeks had passed since his warning. They had only 2 months left now. It sounded like a long time, but it wasn't if you actually think about it. The survey was a bust. Terada had prepared for it and the surveys never left the Li kingdom borders. Terada had told Sakura himself that he had stopped the delivery. They needed a new plan and fast. That night on October 31st, Sakura and Touya had a meeting to discuss a new plan.

"That Terada!" Touya hissed.

"We need to find some way for the queen to listen to his plans. I'm sure he won't say it in front of me again. I don't think he'll give a hint to the plan when he's here." said Sakura.

"He's not dumb. Like you said, he won't say I word." said Touya.

"There has to be something we can do." reasoned Sakura.

"He's not dumb. He won't leave any evidence. He's being very careful." said Touya.

"We can't waste time. Forget about exposing him, let's make sure we can withstand his attack." said Sakura.

"Good idea. We'll focus on strengthening our defenses. We'll try to expose him, but it won't be our focus." agreed Touya.

"Right" Sakura agreed.

Sometimes when one road is blocked, you go another. That is what they need to do, and that's what they did. Sakura and Touya decided to on making sure they can withstand an attack, which they could do, rather then exposing Terada, which they couldn't do. They would still try, but it won't be the main strategy. That's how they spent the next month.

For some reason Syaoran and Sakura would come across the other when doing their jobs. The queen and King Terada had Princess Rika come over more so that she and Syaoran can get to know each other, but the more time they spent together, the more they felt like siblings. Sakura would feel down seeing them together, but she ignored it the best she can, she wasn't allowed interactions with the prince that way and she has much bigger things to worry about, but Sakura couldn't help but think about him from time to time, his problems, and she would worry that Terada's plan would succeed and Syaoran would be in danger. Perhaps it was just her kindness and desire for no one to be hurt, but was it? It wasn't until that Syaoran's really in danger that she couldn't lie to herself anymore. A month after the dance, she would have to confront her true feelings.

Sakura was sent to gather herbs for medical use and the prince went outside the palace walls for some time alone. He was walking down a quiet path surround with trees. It was a different path, not the waterfall path. He was walking down the path when a rattling sound caught his attention. There at the bottom of the tree was a rattle snake. Syaoran stood still and took slow breath to remain calm. The snake laid there in a circle, ready to strike if it feels it was in any danger. A drop of venom fell from its teeth. Syaoran stood completely still making sure not to make the snake think it was in any danger.

Sakura gathered the last of the herbs and got back on the actual path and started to head back to the castle when she saw Syaoran there not moving a muscle. She then saw the rattle snake posed really to strike in defense if necessary. As luck would have it, something fell from the tree above the snake and it lunged forward. Sakura's eyes went wide and she lunged forward, but too late. Syaoran let out a yell of pain and took deep breaths and tried to remain calm and the snake slithered away. Syaoran fell to the ground immediately and was holding the area just above his ankle. Sakura did not hesitate to bend down and placed her mouth over the wound proceeding to suck the venom back out of Syaoran. Once she was done, she placed some herbs she had gathered over the wound.

"You ok Prince Syaoran?" asked Sakura.

"Yeah, I'm alright now." answered Syaoran.

"Whew." Was all she could say.

Sakura helped Syaoran up and supported him back to the castle. She got the imperial doctor to look at him when she gave the herbs to the imperial clinic. The prince was in good shape and would soon heal. As for Sakura, she was fine too, no problems. Well, the only thing was that she couldn't lie to herself anymore. She had completely forgotten that she might get infections, and get in trouble with that kind of contact. The one thing on her mind at that point was his safety. She tried to reason with herself that he's the prince and so she had to safe his life at the expense of her own, but she knew that that wasn't it. At that moment, she had completely forgotten the fact that he's a prince and she's a servant. She was just plain scared that he would die. Memories of when he helped her flooded back to her. When he helped her up, when he kept her form falling, when he had shared his thoughts with her. His arms gave her such a sense of security. The night of the dance played in her mind. His arms wrapped around her, warm and comforting. She cried that night, she cried for who knows how long. She just cried. She had done something she wasn't suppose to. She had fallen in love with the prince.

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**my comments:**

I hope it isn't rushed. Tell me if it seems rushed. I hope you guys are enjoying the story.


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